Work-gripping wrench socket



Jan. 28, 1964 R. G. lVlE' 3,119,290

WORK-GRIPPIMG WRENCH SOCKET Filed July 10, 1961 20 2.0 INVENTOR.

ROGER G./ VIE BY M 97 ym A TTORNEY United States Patent 3,119,290 WORK-GRIPPING WRENCH SOCKET Roger G. Ivie, 3181 Cuthbert Ave., Oakland 2, Calif. Filed July 10, 1961, Ser. No. 123,399 2 Claims. (Cl. 81-128) The invention relates to a work-gripping socket which is particularly adapted for use as a wrench head at the externally free end of a cylindrical article which is threadedly mounted on a carrying structure.

The present wrench socket has been particularly designed for its use in dismounting a filtering unit for the lubricating oil being used by an operating engine for a motor vehicle or other power-using facility, such a filter unit customarily comprising an externally cylindrical casing or container for the oil-filtering means therein and having at one end thereof a usual coaxial threaded and sealed connection by which the unit is mountable in its utility relation to the engine to provide for a circulating cleaning how of the oil through the unit. Since, however, the mounting connection of filter units so installed frequently become set or frozen enough to prevent a dismounitng of a filter unit by the use of casing-engaging wrench devices now available, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a particularly effective casing-engaging wrench socket unit which, when operatively applied, will efficiently grip the unit casing in an automatically limited and maintained manner for effecting its dismounting Without rupturing the casing.

Noting that operatively installed filter units of the character described are not always readily accessible for an engagement of their casings by present wrenches including handles unitarily associated with their Work-engaging heads, another object is to provide a casing-gripping socket which lacks an actuating handle in fixed association with it but is, rather, arranged for the adjustable application thereto of a suitable turning element providing a handle for use as a lever for most advantageously providing a dismounting turning of the casing.

A further object is to provide a socket for the character described which is operative as a work-gripping and turning means in only one rotative direction, as for the dismounting of a filter unit.

An added general object is to provide a work-gripping wrench socket which provides a maximum distributed gripping engagement of its jaws with and about an engaged cylindrical workpiece circumferentially thereof.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a workgripping wrench socket of the present character which comprises a unit and requires a minimum number of parts in its assembly.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth or be apparent in the following description of a typical embodiment and application thereof, and in the accompanying drawings in which,

FIGURE 1 is a perspecive view taken from the gripping end of the present unitary socket and showing the socket in closed condition, the relation of the parts of the opened socket being indicated in dash lines.

FIGURE 2 is a partly sectional view taken from a jaw side of the socket.

FIGURE 3 is a partly sectional view taken from the under side of the assembly of FIGURE 1, as from the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective exploded view of the present socket having its elements mutually separated axially at an actuating element of the socket assembly.

FIGURE 5 is a section taken at the line 55 in FIGURE 3. 1

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary and partly sectional view 3,119,290 Patented Jan. 28, 1964 See taken from the line 6-6 in FIGURE 2 and showing the socket elements in closed-socket relation.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 6 but showing the socket elements in open-socket relation.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view showing the socket assembly of FIGURE 7 as operatively applied to a threadedly-mounted cylindrical oil filter unit to be dismounted.

FIGURE 9 is a broken-away and partially sectional view showing a typical mounting connection for the easing of the oil filter unit of {FIGURE 8 in which the present Wrench socket is shown as operatively applied to the unit for effecting the dismounting of the filter unit from the connection.

As shown, a present cylinder-engaging wrench socket 1'1 comprises cooperative and mutually complementary clamp elements 12 and 13 having mutually opposed workengaging jaw portions '14 and 415 respectively extending integrally and rigidly from mutually opposite ends of lapped base portions '16 and 17 which are mutually and slidably engaged for providing guided rectilinear jawspacing adjustments of the elements 1.2 and 13 longitudinally thereof. Preferably, and as shown, major outer parts of the jaw portions 14 and 15 of the respective elements 12 and 13 are uni-form channel section having straight right-angled inner corners at the outer edges of their flanges 1.4 and 1:5 to provide for a gripping line engagement of said flange edge corners with and along the exterior of an engaged cylindrical workpiece axially thereof. The present elements 12 and 13 are arranged for their shaping from originally fiat metallic blanks of suitable outline and uniform thickness, with the shaping of the jaw portions thereof from the blanks providing gussetlike portions integrally connecting the inner end portions of the jaw flanges 14 and 15' with the sides of the base portions 16 and '17 for rigidifying the clamp element structures thereat, it being understood, however, that present clamp elements might be provided as castings of suitable material.

The guided mutual engagement of the base portions 16 and 17 for providing the relative rectilinear longitudinal adjustment of the elements 112. and 13 is preferably directly operative between the base portions 16 and 17, and in the present structural assembly said portions are provided with interior transverse longitudinal slots 18 and "19 extending therethrough adjacent the opposite ends of the portions from the jaws *14 and 15 provided thereby in which guide pins 2i) and 21 are operative. As shown, the guide pins 212* and 21 are fixedly mounted in and respectively extend fixedly from the opposed fiat faces of the base portions 17 and 1-5, and have shank portions 241 and 21' thereof slidably and complementarily engaged through the slots 12* and 19 respectively and terminating in heads Eli" and 21" which span the slots 1 3 and 19 to extend opposite the mutually opposite faces of the base portions 17 and 15 respectively for mutually securing the elements 12 and 13 for their mutually rectilinear adjustment in a maintained unitary assembly in which a separation of said base portions transversely thereof as well as longitudinally is prevented. As particularly shown, reduced inner shank portions 2% and 21 are fixed in complementary base plate holes in a suitable manner, as by their riveted engagement in the different said holes.

In the present socket unit 11, the relative positioning of the clamp jaws 14 and 15 is under the sole control of a unitary actuator element 22 having a camming portion 23 connecting a head portion 24 and a reduced cylindrical end portion 25, with said actuator portions mutually coaxial and comprising integral parts of the element which is mounted in effectively swiveled relation to the base plates 16 and 17. The cam portion 23 of the actuator 22 is of uniform oblong rectangular cross-section to provide camming edges 23 at its opposite sides which are furthest from the axis of rotation of the actuator, connect its wider fiat sides 23", and is arranged for its constant extension through, and the cooperation of the cam edges 23' with the bounding edges of constantly registering openings 26 and 27 respectively provided through the clamp base portions 16 and 17 intermediately thereof, with said openings respectively provided between the guide pins 20 and 21 which are operative respectively in the slots 18 and 19 of the different base portions and having all edge parts thereof perpendicular to the planes of the opposed faces of the base portions 16 and 17.

The present actuator head portion 24 is of regular polygonal cross-section for its rotative turning engagement by an appropriate tool which is engageable therewith to rotate the actuator with respect to the operative engagement of the socket 11 with the free end of a threadedlymounted workpiece. As shown, the actuator head 24 has its end adjacent the cam portion 23 planar and arranged to constantly span the opening 27 at which it is engageable with the outer face of the base portion 17, while the cylindrical end portion 25 of the actuator fixedly mounts, as by riveting thereto, a flat annular member 28 which is large enough to constantly span the adjacent opening 26 in the base portion 16. The operative mounting of the actuator 22 with respect to the base portions 16 and 17 is essentially such that the mounted actuator is retained in constant rockably rotative relation to the base portions 16 and 17, it being noted that the axial length of the cam portion 23 very slightly exceeds the spacing of the mutually opposite faces of said base portions of the socket unit 11 to provide for free adjusting rotations of the actuator cam in the openings.

It will now be generally noted that the registering camreceiving openings 26 and 27 in the respective base portions 16 and 17 are of like and generally L-shaped or angle form in cross-section but are in longitudinally and laterally reversed relation with respect to the longitudinal lines of said base portions while jointly containing and retaining the cam 23 for its rocking rotation to relatively shift the clamp elements 12 and 13 between work-receiving and work-gripping relations thereto. More specifically, the like-shaped cam-receiving openings 26 and 27 of the base portions 16 and 17 respectively have corresponding straight edge parts 26-a and 27-a extending across said base portions in perpendicular relation to the direction of relative shifting of the portions and define the opening ends nearest to the respective guide slots 18 and 19. The edge parts 26-a and 27a respectively connect side edge parts 26b and 27-b of the camming openings 26 and 27 with corresponding ends at opposite side edge parts 26-c and 27-c thereof, said connected edge parts being straight and mutually parallel in perpendicular relation to the edge parts 26-a and 27-b and mutually spaced by a distance slightly exceeding the width of the cam 23 between its working edges 23'.

At the opposite ends thereof from the edge parts 26-a and 27-a, the openings 26 and 27 respectively have straight edge parts 26-d and 27-d opposite and parallel to corresponding intermediate portions of the edge parts 26-a and 27-a from which they are spaced by a distance equaling the width of the cam 23. The ends of the edge parts 26-d and 27-d nearest the lines of the respective edge parts 26-b and 27-b are connected to the adjacent ends of the edge parts 26-b and 27-b by cylindrically arcuate edge parts 26-2 and 27-e, while straight edge parts 26-f and 27- extend perpendicularly from the other ends of the parts 26d and 27-d toward the edge parts 26-a and 27-h to cylindrically convex edge parts 26-g and 27-g which respectively terminate at the ends of the edge parts 26--(: and 27-c which are at a distance from the edge parts 26-[1 and 27-a approximately and no less than the thickness of the cam 23 as measured between its side faces 23". With general reference to the described engagement of the cam 23 in the camplementary cam-engaging openings 26 and 27, it will be noted that the cam axis is arranged to be constantly centered between the mutually controlled jaws 14 and 15 as the cam is rotatively actuated.

The present jaw-positioning arrangement is essentially such that the jaws 14 and 15 are in their work-gripping relation when the cam 23 is disposed, as in FIGURES 3 and 5 and 6, with its side edges 23' opposite the edge parts 26-a and 27-a of the openings 26 and 27 of the clamp elements 12 and 13 with its plane perpendicular to said edges, while the side cam faces 23" engage the opening face parts 26 and 27-f which limit the rotation of the cam in a jaw-closing direction. Alternatively, when the jaws 14 and 15 are mutually separated for receiving a workpiece between them, the different cam side faces 23 are opposite the edge parts 26-a and 27-a of the different cam-receiving openings 26 and 27 while the cam edges 23' are opposite and adjacent the edge parts 26b and 26-c of the opening 26 and between the edge parts 27-b and 27-c of the opening 27, as in FIGURE 7.

It will now be particularly noted that the present workgripping socket is preferably arranged for its releasable retention on the engaged end portion of a cylindrical workpiece gripped by it. Accordingly, diagonally related side corners 29 of the camming edges 23 of the jawcontrolling cam 23 are preferably arranged to simultaneously and forcibly bear against the edge part 26-a of the opening 26 in the base plate 16 and against the edge part 27a of the opening 27 in the base plate 17 in a deadcenter relation to said edge parts in which the plane of said cam corners 29 extends through the actuator axis and longitudinally of the base plates as the cam is rocked between its limiting positions of FIGURES 6 and 7. This work-gripping arrangement is essentially such that the operative socket is held in mounted relation to a cylindrical workpiece which is radially and resiliently compressible to a slight degree, even if the socket-mounting end of the workpiece is downward, yet is readily releasable by the application of a relatively small reverse turning force to the cam head by a suitable cam-turning means.

By particular reference to FIGURE 8, in which a present work-gripping socket unit 11 is shown as operatively and replaceably applied to the closed end portion of the casing 31 of an oil-filtering unit 32 comprising a workpiece with which the socket unit is to be utilized, it will be noted that said casing may be provided with a plurality of axially directed fiuting depressions 33 in a circumferential line thereof adjacent its free end, whereby to provide for a preferred solely manual rotation of the filter unit for threadedly mounting it on a fitting 34 by which the filter is mountedly connectable in an oil-circulating circuit. FIGURE 9 fragmentarily discloses a typical relation of an oil filter unit 32 to a fitting 34 which carries the filter unit 32 in cooperative depending relation in the oil-circulating system of an internal combustion engine (not shown) and, as shown, the connection end of the filter casing 31 fixedly carries a plate member 35 provided with a threaded central opening 36 within an enclosing line of oil-flow openings 37.

As is usual, the filter fitting 34 terminally provides a central threaded tubular extension 38 for fitted casingmounted engagement in the opening 36, and provides a manifold space 39 about the extension 33 and within a flaring flange 40 arranged for its disposal opposite and about the openings 37 when the extension 38 is engaged in the opening 36 and within the confines of a usual compressible sealing gasket 41 mounted on the flange 40 and operatively engageable with the plate member 35 by reason of a screwed-in engagement of the extension 38 in the opening 36, whereby the necessary seals are provided at both the threads and the gasket when the casing is appropriately mounted on the fitting. Ducts 42 extend from the manifold space 39 in the body of the fitting 34 for inclusion with the duct of the fitting extension 38 in the oil-circulation line through a suitable filtering means (not shown) in the filter casing 31.

Since, in practice, the aforesaid seals provided between the filter casing and the fitting 34 have a tendency to become set or frozen, particularly if the original said seals are unduly tight, it is customarily recommended that the mounting of a present type of filter unit be effected solely by a manual turning effort against the casing and without the use of a wrench or other turning tool, and even then an ultimately acquired set engagement of a casing in its mounting fitting usually requires a casing-releasing effort which may undesirably rupture the casing during its removal, and the present wrench socket 11, with its limited and retained grip, has accordingly been particularly designed to facilitate a non-rupturing gripping and the solely dismounting turining of a filter unit under the aforesaid conditions.

Also, since the working space available immediately adjacent motor vehicle engines is usually so restricted that it is difiicult to directly apply a usual turning tool to a filter casing mounted on the engine, and installed filters of the present type are frequently disposed in depending relation to these mountings, it is also important to note that the present unitary socket assembly 11 is arranged for its working application for freeing a threadedlymounted cylindrical workpiece by the use therewith of an appropriate separate tool for engaging the actuator head 24 for dismounting a frozen-on threadedly-mounted article such as the present oil-filtering unit 32. Tools for use with the actuator head 24 may comprise, for instance, various types of nut-gripping wrenches, including the crescent-type Wrench 44 which is shown in FIGURE 4 as having its head operatively applied to the actuator head 24 with its handle 45 extending as is possible to provide the necessary leverage for starting, and continuing as needed, a dismounting rotation of the workpiece about its axis and with respect to the structure which threadedly carries it.

For an operative use of the present socket unit 11, the actuator element 22 is first manually revolved therein in a clockwise direction as viewed from its outer head end for mutually spacing the jaws 14 and 15 for accommodating between them the free end portion of a filter unit 32, or other cylindrical workpiece to be turned with respect to a mounting structure which threadedly mounts it, after which the opened socket structure is engaged and manually held in receiving relation to said workpiece end, with the inner end portion 25 of the camming element 23 engaged against said container end as a positioning means for the socket assembly. The actuator adjusting tool 44 is now applied to the extending head 24 of the actuator element 22 in the most convenient position for its turning, and is swung in a counterclockwise direction for automatically eifecting a retained cooperative gripping engagement of the jaw edges with the exterior of the container end portion after which a continued counterclockwise movement of the tool 44 may operate to unscrew the gripped container from its mounting. Finally, a release of the socket from the workpiece is readily effectable by a slight clockwise turning of the tool to free the actuator 22 from its automatically retained relation to the tool.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the present work-gripping wrench socket will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains. While I have shown and described an arrangement which I now consider to comprise a preferred embodiment of my invention, I desire to have it understood that the showings are primarily illustrative, and that such changes and developments may be made, when desired, as fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a wrench socket for exteriorly gripping an end portion of the casing of a cylindrical oil-filtering unit which is threadedly mounted coaxially thereof, cooperative clamp elements comprising fiat base portions mutually lapped and having Work-engaging jaw portions extending rigidly therefrom in mutually spaced and cooperatively opposed relation, said base portions of the clamp elements being mutually engaged for a relative adjustment of the jaw portions thereof in a fixed straight line of adjustment between them and provided therethrough with complementary transverse openings of like and generally L-shaped section which are in longitudinal and laterally reversed relation with respect to each other and to the adjustment line of said clamp elements, an actuator element engaged through said openings and providing a cam part which is constantly and directly coactive with corresponding edge parts of said openings for adjusting the clamp members to and from a limiting workpiece-gripping relation of the jaw portions, and means on said actuator element at the opposite side of the clamp base portions from the jaw portions adapting the actuator element for releasable and one-way turning engagement by a lever means to successively eifect gripping and turning actions of the jaw portions with respect to the oil-filtering unit.

2. In a wrench socket for laterally gripping an end portion of a cylindrical workpiece, like cooperative clamp elements comprising flat base portions mutually lapped in face-to-face engagement and having work-engaging jaw portions extending rigidly and transversely therefrom in mutually spaced and cooperatively opposed relation and provided therethrough with transverse openings of like and generally L-shaped section in reversed relation to each other, means connectingly engaging said clamp base portions for solely relative rectilinear jaw-spacing adjustments thereof in a straight line between the jaws, an actuator element rotatably carried by and between said clamp base portions and through said openings and providing a cam part which is symmetrical to the axis of rotation of the actuator and is directly and simultaneously and peripherally coactive with corresponding edge parts of said openings for its rotation to adjust the clamp members equally and oppositely to or from a workpiece-gripping relation of the jaws, and means on said actuator element at the opposite side of the clamp base portions from the jaw portions adapting the element for its one-Way turning engagement by a lever to successively effect gripping and turning actions of the socket with respect to the workpiece.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,226,029 Tessmer May 15, 1917 1,375,312 Nicol Apr. 19, 1921 1,415,440 Grein May 9, 1922 1,943,611 Johnson Jan. 16, 1934 2,052,458 Froelich Aug. 25, 1936 2,521,011 I-Ioskins Sept. 5, 1950 

1. IN A WRENCH SOCKET FOR EXTERIORLY GRIPPING AN END PORTION OF THE CASING OF A CYLINDRICAL OIL-FILTERING UNIT WHICH IS THREADEDLY MOUNTED COAXIALLY THEREOF, COOPERATIVE CLAMP ELEMENTS COMPRISING FLAT BASE PORTIONS MUTUALLY LAPPED AND HAVING WORK-ENGAGING JAW PORTIONS EXTENDING RIGIDLY THEREFROM IN MUTUALLY SPACED AND COOPERATIVELY OPPOSED RELATION, SAID BASE PORTIONS OF THE CLAMP ELEMENTS BEING MUTUALLY ENGAGED FOR A RELATIVE ADJUSTMENT OF THE JAW PORTIONS THEREOF IN A FIXED STRAIGHT LINE OF ADJUSTMENT BETWEEN THEM AND PROVIDED THERETHROUGH WITH COMPLEMENTARY TRANSVERSE OPENINGS OF LIKE AND GENERALLY L-SHAPED SECTION WHICH ARE IN LONGITUDINAL AND LATERALLY REVERSED RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER AND TO THE ADJUSTMENT LINE OF SAID CLAMP ELEMENTS, AN ACTUATOR ELEMENT ENGAGED THROUGH SAID OPENINGS AND PROVIDING A CAM PART WHICH IS CONSTANTLY AND DIRECTLY COACTIVE WITH CORRESPONDING EDGE PARTS OF SAID OPENINGS FOR ADJUSTING THE CLAMP MEMBERS TO AND FROM A LIMITING WORKPIECE-GRIPPING RELATION OF THE JAW PORTIONS, AND MEANS ON SAID ACTUATOR ELEMENT AT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CLAMP BASE PORTIONS FROM THE JAW PORTIONS ADAPTING THE ACTUATOR ELEMENT FOR RELEASABLE AND ONE-WAY TURNING ENGAGEMENT BY A LEVER MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY EFFECT GRIPPING AND TURNING ACTIONS OF THE JAW PORTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE OIL-FILTERING UNIT. 